Panda Global terminates their contract with Infiltration after a thorough investigation into a case of domestic violence

Today, Panda Global and Capcom have released public statements in response to accusations against 33-year-old Seonwoo “Infiltration” Lee, a South Korean Street Fighter player who’d previously been representing the former.

Near the end of September 2018, an anonymous group brought to light some incredibly unsettling documents that hinted towards an incident of domestic violence facilitated by Infiltration. The allegations initially surfaced via the Reddit forums, and the word quickly spread through the Internet.

This case would surface approximately a half-year after Infiltration tied the knot with his now ex-wife in June 2017, after which he would travel to Evolution 2017 in Las Vegas to defend his championship title. The couple divorced in November 2017 for reasons that, until recently, had never been specified, much to the shock and confusion of the fighting game community.

One year later, the confusion morphed into collective anger throughout the FGC when a group of Reddit users disclosed an audio transcript of an escalating conflict between Infiltration and his ex-wife that had apparently turned physical, a feat for which Infiltration took credit. He was first arrested in September 2017, then released later after paying a fine and accepting a restraining order against him.

However, the transcript has since been made unavailable, but the page where these accusations first surfaced can be found here.

Shortly after the alarms were sounded, Panda Global took notice of the ongoing allegations against Infiltration, and they immediately conducted an investigation into the matter. The process would take almost two months as the organization needed to seek legal counsel with the Republic of Korea and the United States of America, while seeking to obtain an English translation of the documents painting Infiltration in an incredibly negative light, a task that would be time-consuming due to complexities within the Korean legal system.

We are taking the claims against Infiltration's alleged domestic violence seriously and are conducting a thorough investigation into these claims. If the claims are substantiated we will take appropriate action.

While the investigation was ongoing, Panda Global withdrew Infiltration from further participation in this year’s Capcom Pro Tour season. Consequently, the situation was brought to the attention of Capcom, who in turn conducted their own investigation even as the FGC anxiously awaited the verdict.

The process required multiple layers of consultation that dragged on for well over a month due to legal and language barriers, as well as differing time zones. Today, however, this investigation has finally come to a conclusion, as Panda Global and Capcom have released their respective statements explaining the situation and the consequences Infiltration will endure.

A video and written statement on the matter has just been released by PG and can be seen below.

The video statement above is accompanied by this written statement, taken from here:

Following the termination of Infiltration’s contract with Panda Global, the South Korean competitor has voluntarily withdrawn himself from further participation in this year’s CPT season, as well as the 2019 season. He will be permitted to resume his competitive career in 2020, but Capcom has warned that a second offense will result in a lifetime ban from future CPT events.

As a result of Infiltration’s withdrawal, which is being treated as the equivalent of a disqualification, his position in the CPT 2018 rankings, seen here, will be completely disregarded, meaning that all players ranked below him will be moved up one spot. Infiltration was previously ranked #11 on the CPT leaderboards, but due to his penalty, Liquid Nemo, previously ranked at #27, is now within qualifying territory by way of points for the Capcom Cup 2018 finals, which will take place at the Las Vegas Esports Arena in mid-December.

Capcom’s statement regarding their disciplinary action against Infiltration can be seen via the Twitter post below.

In spite of the results of the investigation, he maintains that he is innocent, and has promised to explain everything once Panda Global dropped the final update regarding their investigation. Per his request, PG has also published a statement made by Infiltration himself.

Finally, for those wishing to review the investigation process in its entirety, Panda Global has included a document summarizing all of the steps taken towards resolving the case. That document has been provided via www.scribd.com and is available here.

Though this unsettling story has finally come to its resolution, or as close to an end as it may get, the shattering of everybody’s previous perceptions on Infiltration will undoubtedly leave an impact in the years to come. Regardless, Panda Global’s approach to the matter has been nothing but an example of utmost professionalism, and we can only hope that similar scenarios such as this do not unfold.

JagoBlake, the author of this article, is an esports enthusiast who just so happens to have a way with words. Whenever he is not scouring the Internet in pursuit of breaking news, he's investing time into his favorite fighting games so as not to appear inadequate in the face of competition. To support his work, follow him on Twitter - @xJagoBlake.

StreamMe is a powerful broadcasting platform that brings together streamers and viewers in an amazingly unique experience. With only fifty followers, you can get partnered and earn revenue for each subscription made to your channel. As your following increases, broadcasters and viewers will earn access to unique options that will add some flavor to your experience on StreamMe.